Singapore (CNN) South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo said that the international community should not question Kim Jong Un's motives, as it could hinder progress in bringing about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Song made the comments during a question and answer session after a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a security summit that draws government officials and academics from around the world.

Speaking alongside Song were Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan.

"Chairman Kim Jong Un is looking to make decisive actions," Song said, according to a translation provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which hosts the event. "If we suspect his motives, than any kind of developments to achieve that will be hindered by these suspicions. So as we try to take this path forward, than we must be helping each other."

At times, Onodera and Song appeared to enter into something of a good cop-bad cop routine, though likely unintentionally, with the South Korean providing a more optimistic counterpoint to the skepticism of his Japanese counterpart.

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