A few days ago, a startled exclamation rang out in the office. We only noticed the mistake after printing recruitment materials for the Kim Woo-jung Academy (GYBM), our global youth talent program. The flyer was supposed to state the average starting salary for college graduates taking jobs at Korean firms in Southeast Asia as $45,000 (approximately 67,500,000 KRW), but it was printed as 45,000,000 KRW. Using an exchange rate of 1,500 KRW per dollar, the correct KRW amount should be 67,500,000 KRW (about $45,000). As printed, it read 45,000,000 KRW (about $30,000), understating the offer by 22,500,000 KRW (about $15,000).
I reviewed three years' worth of promotional materials and found the same mistake repeated. Oddly, the error became a talking point. People kept asking, "Is that in dollars or won?"—the uncertainty worked like a teaser. The typo generated unexpected publicity, but it left me embarrassed.
At that moment I recalled Signal Detection Theory. Originating in radar operations, the theory argues that to avoid missing a real target among many signals you must operate under the assumption that a signal may be present. If you relax your guard, you dismiss signals as noise. The same principle applies in medicine: physicians who expect to find abnormalities on an X-ray detect more lesions. You have to actively look for the signal to see it.
I learned a similar lesson during military service 40 years ago at a coastal unit in Incheon. As a platoon leader who later handled personnel and logistics, my duty was to watch over people and equipment. I kept telling myself, "There must be something." When I stayed alert, real problems surfaced. That defensive vigilance likely saved lives—I witnessed near-fatal accidents such as falls during post changes, a mess-hall accident during training, and a bus striking resting soldiers. Those incidents ingrained a habit of defensive awareness.
Major accidents have become more frequent recently, and most are rooted in human error. People grow complacent while machines and systems age. We also indulge in the false belief that advanced technology will prevent every failure. Industrial sites are aging, the share of foreign workers is rising, and the number of variables that require attention has increased. The attitude of "nothing happened before" breeds neglect, and neglect is the precursor to large-scale disasters. We can no longer rely solely on individual willpower for continuous vigilance.
That is where Nudge Theory becomes useful. A nudge provides subtle, often unconscious prompts that steer people toward better choices. For example, if a medication is supposed to be taken three days a week, people often skip doses. If you package pills in a daily dispenser and include placebo pills on non-dose days, adherence improves dramatically. You build a habit without forcing compliance.
We should apply this approach across society and industry. Guided by Signal Detection Theory, inspect worksites daily, but institutionalize the practice of recording "no abnormalities" when none are found. Digital tools make this inexpensive. A valuable nudge would be one that removes language barriers: let foreign workers report hazards in their native languages, auto-translate those reports into Korean, and forward them to managers. If Korean workers return to the mindset of new hires and work alongside foreign colleagues as role models, the effect would be amplified.
Safety is not a slogan; it is a daily practice. Like defensive driving or defensive living, prevention succeeds only within structured systems that keep people consistently alert.
/Park Chang-wook, Executive Vice President, Daewoo World Management Research Association
