Jocelyn Clark (55), an American, has made new history in the Korean traditional music scene by being officially designated as an inheritor of Jeollabuk-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 40, Gayageum Sanjo. With her neatly tied brown hair adorned with a traditional Korean ornamental hairpin, she perfectly blended into the traditional atmosphere. On March 10th, Ms. Clark achieved the honor of becoming the first non-Korean national to be designated as an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, although there had been a case of an overseas Korean being designated as an inheritor in the Pansori field.

The inheritor selection process, overseen by the Cultural Heritage Division of Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government, is known to be highly competitive even for Korean applicants with over 10 years of experience. For foreigners, who often face restrictions on long-term residency, the barrier is even higher. An official from the Cultural Heritage Division explained, "Many Korean applicants with over 10 years of experience are also rejected. For foreigners, the hurdle is much higher."

Currently a professor at the Joosigyeong Liberal Arts College of Pai Chai University, Ms. Clark vividly remembers the moment she received the call informing her of the designation. "I was hiking with fellow professors when my teacher, Master Ji Seong-ja, called and said, 'It's done! It's done!' I was so happy I almost danced on the mountain," she shared, expressing her excitement at the time.

Designation as an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage is a title conferred by the Cultural Heritage Administration or local governments. It is considered a gateway to formally entering the Korean traditional music scene and an important step towards being recognized as a master in the future. The dual system at the national and regional levels contributes to more precisely discovering and fostering skilled practitioners.

Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Alaska, Ms. Clark personally chose her Korean name, 'Jo Se-rin (趙世璘)'. She laughed, saying, "For fun, I combined the character for 'north (北)' and 'bird (鳥)' to make it sound like 'Jo'. It means 'Jo from Alaska'."

Her interest in East Asian stringed instruments began when she first encountered Japanese music in her school days. In high school, she traveled between Nagoya and Tokyo to learn the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument. Later, at Wesleyan University, she developed a deep interest in Chinese language and calligraphy, which led her to the Nanjing University of the Arts in China. There, she majored in the guqin and zheng.

Ms. Clark recalled, "During the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, it was very difficult for foreigners to even enter the music academy. We had to use separate entrances. It was a really tough time as a student."

Her encounter with the gayageum happened by chance afterwards. After returning to the United States from China, she met Kim Jin-hee, a geomungo player who had come to the US to study jazz. This meeting sparked her interest in Korean traditional instruments.

She said, "At the time, Korea's support for promoting overseas culture was very limited, so it was difficult to obtain information about traditional music." Curious, Ms. Clark wrote a letter to the director of the National Gugak Center and was selected as a scholarship student in 1992, beginning her formal study of the gayageum.

"Initially, I planned to study for only one year. However, the gayageum was so different in terms of technique and aesthetics from Western instruments or other East Asian instruments that it was impossible to master in a short period. Eventually, I stayed much longer," she added.

Since then, she began writing 'Jocelyn' in Hangeul as '조세린' instead of katakana or hanja. In 2005, she completed her doctoral dissertation on Pansori lyrics at Harvard University, fully immersing herself in Korean traditional music.

For Ms. Clark, the gayageum is "an instrument that gives back as much love as you pour into it." She says the biggest difference compared to the koto or zheng is the rhythm and the philosophy contained in the performance. While the koto and zheng often follow Western music's 2/4 or 4/4 time signatures, the gayageum is based on a 3-beat cycle, allowing for more complex variations.

She also expressed her deep affection for the gayageum, saying, "Unlike the koto or zheng, which are mainly played solo, the gayageum is often played with accompaniment and blends beautifully with dance. The ability to freely adjust the performance according to the mood and context of the music is very appealing to me."

Ms. Jocelyn Clark's designation as an inheritor of Gayageum Sanjo is seen as an important case that contributes to the international spread of Korean traditional culture and the promotion of cultural diversity, going beyond a simple personal achievement. Her story, of being captivated by the deep charm of Korean traditional music in a foreign land and achieving this through relentless passion and effort, provides deep inspiration and emotion to many.