Crossing the Divide: Learning to Love in North Korea

by Stephen & Joy Yoon

Is God at work in the darkest places?

In a nation known for oppression and isolation, Joy and Stephen Yoon discovered the answer is a resounding yes. For over 17 years, this ordinary couple witnessed God’s extraordinary love piercing through the shadows, transforming their own hearts and the lives of those they encountered.

In Crossing the Divide, the Yoons offer an eyewitness perspective on North Korean life and share powerful lessons like:

What it looks like to boldly follow God’s call on your life
God’s heart for the forsaken and how he is at work in unexpected ways and places
Loving your neighbor, even when it’s costly
Hope for reconciliation and healing, both personally and globally

More than a memoir, Crossing the Divide, challenges you to see others through Heaven’s eyes. By the final page, you’ll view the estranged, the opposing, and the seemingly hopeless in a new light.

For 17 years, Stephen and Joy have served as Christian humanitarian workers in North Korea, raising their family inside there for 11 years. They are the founders of IGNIS Community, focusing on humanitarian outreach, social entrepreneurship, and medical treatment and education.

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Stephen & Joy Yoon

With over ten years of experience living and working in the DPRK, Joy is uniquely qualified to write about life inside the country. From the northeast province to the capital city, she has traveled throughout the DPRK and experienced what it means to live in North Korea as a foreigner. Having spent her childhood in South Korea gives her a third-culture perspective and a deeper understanding of the North Korean people. She is known for her cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity and for her passion in bridging the gap between cultures.

Joy and her husband, Stephen, serve as humanitarian workers in one of the most reclusive and misunderstood nations in the world primarily through medical work. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biology and certification in Special Education and Educational Therapy, she has been able to blend science with education to serve children with developmental disabilities. Joy has initiated the first Educational Therapy Program for children with cerebral palsy, autism, and learning disabilities in the DPRK through their non-profit organization, IGNIS Community’s, Pyongyang Spine Rehabilitation Center (PYSRC). This is the first specialty center of its kind that trains doctors in this new graduate program while treating children with developmental disabilities.

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