PYONGYANG - The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea attended an inauguration ceremony for a new housing area here on Sunday for the families of troops who died in overseas military operations, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday.

Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, used the occasion to salute all the officers and soldiers of the overseas operations units, the KCNA said.

The construction of the new housing district, located in Hwasong area of the capital city, was initiated and guided by Kim. The DPRK leader named the housing area Saeppyol Street, meaning "new star", to commemorate "the shining star-like feats of the heroes" who sacrificed their lives during the overseas military operations, the KCNA said.

In a speech during the event, Kim called the street "a byword for the glorious life of the combatants", the report said.

READ MORE: DPRK's Kim inspects under-construction overseas military operations memorial museum

After a tape-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the housing project, the DPRK leader, along with other senior officials, presented the bereaved families with licenses for the use of the flats, said the report.

Kim also met bereaved family members and visited some of their new houses while urging officials "to thoroughly implement the measure taken to afford preference and privileges to the families of the martyrs", the report added.