Minor point, but why does it matter that he spoke in "accented" English? Would CNN ever say this about a Mexican? And I too greatly admire that Yoon has his priorities straight and a sense of perspective even in this time of horrible tragedy.
> Minor point, but why does it matter that he spoke in "accented" English?
I took that only as an indication that although English was not his first language, he chose to use English because after all, that's what Americans speak.
This man is an American, and obviously a proud one. As another, I honor his choice.
Because a native speaker of English who speaks with poor grammar is marked as illiterate or dumb, yet we all make allowances when we listen to someone who’s speaking English as a second language.
The phrase “accented English” is there to allow the reader to do the same.