First-year graduate student Caroline Yoon was killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this month while visiting friends at the University of Illinois.
Yoon, who attended the Graduate School of Education, began classes at Penn in January after graduating from the University of Illinois last December.
According to the Office of the Champaign County Coroner, Yoon was not wearing a helmet and suffered traumatic head injuries in the crash, which occurred near the University of Illinois campus at around 11:55 p.m. March 3.
Champaign Police Department officials said that Yoon was taken to Carle Foundation Hospital, where she died early the next morning.
Samuel Park, a friend of Yoon who was driving the motorcycle, was initially arrested for driving under the influence. But police will not decide whether to charge Park with any crimes until more information is received, Detective Lisa Staples said.
Ed Sohn, a Penn Law student, said that Yoon and Park were good friends and that they had intended to go out with a group that night.
Staples said that Park's role in the incident must be carefully considered and the investigation will last several months.
"Although Park was arrested for the DUI ... future charges rest with the state's attorney's office," Staples said.
Sohn said that while Yoon's death has been very difficult for close friends, no one is angry with Park.
"However upset people are," Sohn said, Park "is feeling 10 times more guilt."
Jennifer Yu, a Penn Law student who met Yoon this year, said the two became very close.
"She really opened up and was willing to share her life with us for the amount of time we knew her," Sohn said. "It was remarkable how she affected our church group significantly."
Nursing senior Cindy Lu had known Yoon since high school.
"She was very kind and considerate and had a very genuine personality," Lu said.
Jin Heo, an Education graduate student and friend of Yoon's, agreed.
"She was really easygoing; anybody could talk to her," Heo said. "She would approach you first and talk to you."
She added that Yoon had aspired to teach English abroad.
"She wanted to become an [English as a Second Language] teacher," Heo said, adding that Yoon had planned to spend a year teaching in Korea before working at a U.S. high school.
A memorial service for Yoon is planned for Friday at 1 p.m. at the Graduate Student Center at 36th Street and Locust Walk.
