A Korean American lawyer who lost her life in a tragic plane crash near Washington, D.C., last month has been laid to rest amid deep mourning from her family and colleagues.
According to the Korean American community, the funeral for Sarah Lee Best (Korean name Kang Sera), 33, was held on February 9 at a funeral home near Washington, D.C. The ceremony was attended by her family, friends, and colleagues in a solemn and quiet atmosphere.
Choi Kwon-hong, president of the Korean American Association of Clarksville in Tennessee, expressed his grief, stating, “I watched her grow up and saw her journey. She was always a devoted daughter who cared deeply for her parents. It is heartbreaking.” He added, “I can only hope that her parents and two older sisters find the strength to endure this pain.”
Earlier, on February 1, Suh Jeong-il, president of the Federation of Korean Associations of the USA (KAUSA), which represents 180 Korean American organizations, personally met with the bereaved family to offer his condolences.
In a statement of mourning, KAUSA expressed its sorrow over the loss of four promising Korean individuals in the tragic accident. “As fellow Koreans, we share in the grief of their passing,” the statement read. “We stand with the bereaved families in their sorrow and sincerely hope they find comfort and peace amid their pain.”
The organization further urged the government and aviation authorities to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and implement stronger safety measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring. “We will spare no effort in providing support to the victims’ families and the Korean American community,” the statement emphasized.
Kang was an attorney at Wilkinson Stekloff, a law firm in Washington, D.C. She was traveling on a business trip to Kansas when the accident occurred. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, she had previously worked as a judicial clerk before pursuing her legal career. Her academic excellence was reflected in her summa cum laude graduation from law school.
A total of four Korean victims were among the 67 individuals who perished in the accident. They included teenage figure skater Gina Han, her mother Jin Han, and Spencer Lane, a teenage male skater who had been adopted from South Korea to the United States.
The tragic accident has left the Korean American community in mourning, as they remember the lives lost and call for greater aviation safety measures to prevent future tragedies.
HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
