June 23, 2014 - 9:04 AM
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has declined to launch an investigation into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity by North Korea in the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship and the shelling of a South Korean island.
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Monday she determined after "a thorough factual and legal analysis of the information available" that the incidents didn't merit an investigation for now.
Her office began a preliminary examination in December 2010 in response to complaints from South Korean students and citizens.
Bensouda said in a statement that the attack on the warship Cheonan "was directed at a lawful military target" and wouldn't meet the definition of a war crime. In addition, the shelling of Yeonpyeong island did not appear to primarily target civilians.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014