A traditional Korean form of wrestling known as "ssireum" has been inscribed as the two Koreas' first joint intangible cultural asset by UNESCO.

The 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Mauritius on Monday, finalized its decision to add the sport to its list, accepting South and North Korea's combined bids to register it. 

The entry was initially scheduled to be reviewed as early as Wednesday, but the committee was known to have moved up its review considering the significance of inter-Korean collaboration. 

According to an official of Seoul’s Cultural Heritage Administration, the committee's 24 member countries approved the joint registration by consensus without a separate voting process. 

The sport’s officially listed name is “Traditional Korean Wrestling.” 

Initially, the two Koreas launched separate bids for the sport’s inscription but following the inter-Korean summit in April, Seoul suggested a joint bid to Pyongyang. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also sent an envoy to Pyongyang earlier this month to persuade the North Korean side.

It is the first time UNESCO has accepted a combined bid from the two Koreas. Earlier, the two Koreas successfully but separately bid to register the traditional song "Arirang" and traditional dish kimchi or kimchi-making process.