BUSAN - Imagine biting into a fish croquette and juicy bits of bak kwa or barbecued meat flow out like molten lava.

This fusion treat is the result of a collaboration between South Korea's oldest fish cake manufacturer Samjin Amook and Singapore's largest bak kwa chain Bee Cheng Hiang.

The croquette was launched in South Korea's southern port city Busan on Wednesday (Feb 20), at the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between Busan and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to promote two-way tourism.

The event came two days after Singapore Airlines' regional subsidiary SilkAir announced plans to start direct flights to Busan, the first between the two cities.

Starting from May 1, the airline will operate four flights a week to Busan, South Korea's second largest city.

Mr Chang Chee Pey, assistant chief executive of STB's international group, said the signing ceremony marked an important milestone and the MOC was "another testament of the deepening collaboration between our two countries".

Singapore and South Korea enjoy close bilateral relations and strong economic ties, with bilateral trade reaching S$45.4 billion in 2017.

About 232,000 people from Singapore visited South Korea last year, while over 629,000 from South Korea visited Singapore.

Mr Chang also pointed out similarities between Singapore and Busan - both are densely populated port cities, about the same size in land area, well known for seafood, and boast "magnificent skylines for that highly instagrammable selfie".

He added that a series of activities will be rolled out throughout the year to deepen tourism cooperation between the two cities.

The fish and bak kwa croquette, which was previously exclusive to Samjin's outlet in Singapore, will be available throughout South Korea from mid-March. Busan-based Samjin opened its first branch in Singapore's Ion Orchard shopping mall in 2017.

From May, Korean travellers who fly to Singapore from Busan via SilkAir can use their boarding pass to redeem a free croquette and get a pair of admission tickets to Ion Sky, an observation deck on the mall's 56th floor.

A Busan TV station is also slated to produce a show about Busan residents chasing their passion in Singapore, in line with STB's "Passion Made Possible" tourism campaign.

"Both cities are looking ahead to forge a deeper friendship in time to come," said Mr Chang.