Korean star learned ASL to congratulate deaf actor Kotsur in case he won an Oscar and it paid off beautifully

When it comes to deaf people, rarely does anyone put in extra effort to learn how to communicate with them. However, actress Youn Yuh-Jung did go that extra mile by learning sign language to congratulate Troy Kotsur in case he won the Oscars in 2022 for Best Supporting Actor role. In a video posted by Viu Singapore, Yuh-Jung can be seen practicing five days before the Oscars in 2022. She tells a person sitting next to her, "I hope he is the winner, the father in 'CODA,' Troy Kotsur. He is deaf, so I should do this. She signs and says, 'Congratulations' and 'I love you from the bottom of my heart,' but I don't know how to say the bottom of my heart. I hope he gets it when I do this." She shows signs to two more people and can also be seen practicing alone.

On the day of the Oscars, while presenting the award for Best Supporting Actor, Yuh-Jung said, "I was complaining about mispronouncing my name, and I'm so sorry because I've looked at the nominees of this incredible category and now I have to pronounce them. Please forgive me in advance." After reading the envelope, she signs, "Congratulations" and "I love you from the bottom of my heart" and then announces the winner, "Troy Kotsur." He is the second deaf actor to win Oscars. She later could be seen standing beside the actor with tears in her eyes as he begins to sign.

Kotsur says in the acceptance speech, "This is amazing to be here on this journey. I cannot believe I'm here. Thank you so much to all the members of the Academy for recognizing my work. It is really amazing that our film 'CODA' has reached out worldwide and even reached all the way to the Whitehouse. I want to thank all the deaf theatre stages where I was allowed to develop my craft as an actor. Thank you."

He continues, "I read in Spielberg's book recently he said that, 'The definition of the best director was a skilled communicator.' Sian Heder, you are the best communicator and the reason why you brought the deaf world and the hearing world together and you are our bridge. And your name will always be here in Hollywood and that was supported by Apple, Sundance, all of our cast and crew." He goes on to thank his family members. He concludes by saying, "This is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA community, and the disabled community. This is our moment."

People on the social media platform applauded Yuh-Jung for her efforts. CJ Hirro commented, "This is what it's like to actually care about what you're doing. To love what you're doing and not do it for the money or because your management thinks it's good for your career. This is so beautiful." Myul Mang wrote, "That was the sweetest winner announcement that I have ever viewed. It was touching and thoughtful." Ma Ferolane A Baniel shared, "The sweetest and very thoughtful announcement. You're my forever favorite Youn Yuh Jung."