One thing you will notice among Asians who speak a Western language (e.g. English, German, French) is the presence of a very thick accent. Some people like to say that it’s common for non-native speakers. However, it probably has more to do with the way the language was taught (either by the class they enrolled in or their preferred language software) than any genetic predisposition.
Most of Asia learn foreign languages under the Grammar-Translation Method. This is true whether they’re studying English in Korea, Spanish in the Philippines or Italian in Malaysia. For some reason, learners in the continent (or their teachers) look at reading and writing skills as crucial to truly learning a language, making the study of grammar in a foreign language program a worthy undertaking.
Maybe it has to do with the premium many Asians put on the ability to read and write. Aren’t Asians stereotyped as booksmart students, after all? Maybe it’s just because Asian languages are set up that way, making it the natural choice for acquiring a second language skill.
The issue with the Grammar-Translation Method is that it embraces pronunciation based on phonetics. As you probably noticed with the English language, the “right” way to speak isn’t necessarily the “common” way of speaking. Natives develop speech patterns that are different from what they’re supposed to sound like if you follow the rules. Thus, the noticeable accents despite adherence to all the proper rules of the language.