(CNN) -- The International Criminal Court has opened a probe into the North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong Island last month and the March sinking of a South Korean warship, allegedly by a North Korean submarine, to evaluate if the incidents constitute war crimes, the court said Monday. "The office of the prosecutor has received communications alleging that North Korean forces committed war crimes in the territory of the Republic of Korea," the court said in a written statement. "The prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, confirmed that the office has opened a preliminary examination." A preliminary investigation will determine if the criteria are met for opening an investigation under the Rome Statute, the court said. That statute set up the court and governs it.
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A preliminary investigation will determine whether a probe will be opened
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The international court is looking into the sinking of a South Korean ship in March
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The court also is probing the shelling on Yeonpyeong Island last month
The ICC has no police force and relies on countries who are party to the @placeholder to turn suspects in.