ANKARA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled a plan to build a street in Pyongyang to honor fallen soldiers in the Russia-Ukraine war, state media reported Saturday.

“Saebyol Street," which means morning star, will be built in the Taesong district, Kim announced at a second ceremony this month to decorate soldiers who participated in the war, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

It came days before Kim will travel to China to attend a large-scale military parade Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The commendation took place about a week after the first ceremony was held in Pyongyang, where Kim honored 101 soldiers who were killed in the war.

In the latest ceremony, Kim gave the portraits, wrapped in the North's national flags, of fallen soldiers to bereaved family members and held a photo session with them.

"To all the bereaved families of the martyrs, I once again express my regret about having failed to save the precious lives of our officers and soldiers who fell on the battlegrounds on a foreign land, as I am anxious that I could not bring them alive back here," said Kim.

In April, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that at least 600 North Korean troops had been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. It said Pyongyang had likely suffered more than 4,700 casualties since its troops began participating in the conflict.

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership last year, pledging mutual military support if either came under attack by a third party.

*Writing by Aamir Latif