South Korea's human rights watchdog plans to conduct a probe into a group defection by North Korean restaurant workers in 2016 amid allegations that the defection was orchestrated by the South's spy agency.

The National Human Rights Commission said that it held a meeting on Thursday and decided to investigate the case to determine if the North Korean workers came to the South voluntarily or if a state agency was illegally involved in the defection.

The commission has set up a probe team and plans to investigate the National Intelligence Service, the Korea Defense Intelligence Command and other organizations allegedly involved in the defection. 

Earlier this month, a United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, called for a through and independent investigation into the case, saying that some of the North Koreans appear to be "victims" of a scam.