She was born in Pyongyang, Korea, grew up in Ann Arbor and holds a bachelor's degree with honors in French literature and a PhD in anthropology from the University of Michigan.
In 2014, she received the CEDAW award for International Comity from the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women in San Francisco.
She is co-editor with Jonathan Samet of the WHO monograph, "Gender, Women and the Tobacco Epidemic" and former columnist for the EarthTimes newspaper.
In 2021, she served on the Advisory Board on Gender Equality of the UN President of the 76th General Assembly, ambassador Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives.
Yoon is married to Richard Mills Smith, former Editor-in-Chief, CEO and Chairman of Newsweek,[2] and President of the Pinkerton Foundation.