Japan's Kyodo News says South Korean and Japanese civic groups have officially agreed to jointly apply for the listing of records on the Joseon Tongsinsa goodwill missions onto the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

South Korea's Busan Cultural Foundation and a Japanese organization signed the joint application in the city of Tsushima in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture on Friday.

Records sought for the UNESCO designation total 333 pieces of 111 items including diplomatic papers and cultural records. 

The two sides will carry out application procedures through March, aiming for a listing next year.

The Joseon Tongsinsa were diplomatic envoys from Korea's Joseon Dynasty sent to Japan in the 15th and 16th centuries. Pictures depicting the envoys' procession and other relics of the Tongsinsa have become national treasures in both countries.