Samsung Group said Wednesday that it will hire up to 35 percent of its new recruits from regional universities from the second half of this year.

The country’s largest conglomerate also said it will introduce a 5 percent quota for applicants from low-income and underprivileged families at the same time.

“The group plans on expanding the portion of new hires from universities located outside of Seoul to 35 percent from the current 25-27 percent range during the regular recruiting session in the second half of this year,” said Samsung’s chief communications officer Rhee In-yong.

Well-known universities located in provincial areas, such as KAIST and POSTECH, are also included on the list of regional colleges. However, not many graduates from those universities apply for jobs at Samsung as most enroll in grad schools, Rhee said.

For the first time, this year Samsung will hold a special recruitment session by receiving recommendations from university deans and chiefs for about 400-500 college graduates from underprivileged homes.

“The measure has been designed to offer workplaces to hard-working young people who have an adventurous mind but come from families with economic difficulties,” said Rhee. “It will give them an opportunity to go after their dreams without thinking about how they will make their daily living.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)