A part-time job fair for women returning from a career hiatus and the retired elderly opened on Tuesday at an exhibition in Seoul jointly held by local conglomerates and the government.

Job seekers ― mostly married women and retired seniors ― formed long lines before the main gates of the exhibition center at Coex in Gangnam.

The job applicants waited their turns for job interviews and consulting, with some taking photos for applications on the sidelines.

The longest line was in front of the pavilion where Samsung Group affiliates were hiring.

Kim Jong-heon, vice president of Samsung Electronics’ global recruiting group, said he expected at least half of the applicants to visit the booths set up by the Samsung affiliates.

Around 30,000 people visited the job fair, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, an organizer of the event.

Paying a visit to the job fair, President Park Geun-hye said the part-time work system “is in line with the flow of the times.”

“Many still seem to have prejudice toward what a decent job should be like. As an economic paradigm changes with time, the perception toward jobs can change,” she said.

“(With the help of the part-time work system) women will be able to work as well as take care of their children, which will lead to more social participation of women, and enhancement of the nation’s overall competitiveness,” Park added.

The event comes after the government, in cooperation with the corporate sector, agreed to usher in the era of contract-based part-time jobs.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, along with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, also joined in the efforts aimed at achieving President Park Geun-hye’s pledge for a 70 percent employment rate.

Samsung, as the top conglomerate in Korea, has vowed to contribute to the campaign. It is said a part-time employee at an affiliate of Samsung Group would receive around 12 million won to 15 million won a year depending on their work hours.

Most of the benefits provided to regular workers will also be offered to the part-time employees.

“It is hard to detail the exact amount of a monthly payment, but a part-time worker would receive up to three-quarters of that of a regular worker, and of course, the work hours should be factored in the calculation,” Choi Jong-seob, human resources team manager of LG Corp.

Around 82 affiliates of Korea’s 10 largest conglomerates including LG Group, CJ Group and Shinhan Bank welcomed the job seekers at the booths.

Participants who want to restart their careers after marriage, child care and retirement said money was not the only reason they attended the job fair.

“What is more important than money is work, because it means self-realization,” a 56-year-old participant said.

Meanwhile, the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the largest civic groups in Korea, held a protest in the morning near the job fair venue, railing against the government’s makeshift measure to boost the employment rate by creating low-quality jobs.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)