His wife had had no child for eight years since marriage because of her habitual abortion.

It was a few months before they were scheduled to return home that she was pregnant again and got hospitalized at the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital.

Upon hearing the fact, leader Kim Jong Il instructed the hospital to take all conceivable steps for her easy childbirth and saw to it that the government provided them with the same living conditions as before until they left the DPRK.

At last, she gave birth to a baby in the hospital months later.

So pleased, the couple sent a letter of thanks to Kim Jong Il, requesting him to name his son. The request represented their will to entirely entrust their family's destiny to him.

Kim Jong Il named their son Saebyol (morning star) and sent gifts to him, wishing he would be a symbol of friendship forged between the DPRK and Cuba.

Alvarez said Kim Jong Il's care for his family was also an expression of his friendly feelings towards the Cuban people.