▶ Interview
Andrua Haque
Master’s Student in Biomodulation, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology
Andrua Haque, a Bangladeshi student born in Korea, describes himself as a “global citizen.” His goal is to bring the lessons he learned from Korea’s success story back to his home country and help create what he calls “the miracle of Bangladesh.”
Andrua Haque, a Bangladeshi national, speaks Korean with near-native fluency. Born in Korea, he spent the first nine years of his life in the country before moving through Australia, Kuwait, and Bangladesh during his adolescence as his father’s overseas assignments took the family abroad. Even then, he remained deeply connected to the country of his birth. His parents also hoped he would one day grow into someone capable of bridging Bangladesh and Korea.
“At first, I planned to attend a university in the U.S. or another English-speaking country, but my parents encouraged me to consider Korea instead. Even after being admitted to UCLA’s computer science program, I struggled to decide what path to take. Around that time, I learned about a government-sponsored scholarship program and eventually chose to study in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University.”
After entering Seoul National University as an undergraduate in 2019, Andrua immersed himself in political science and international relations while also pursuing a second major in geography. Yet the Korea he returned to as an adult felt very different from the utopia he remembered from his childhood.
“Dealing with visa issues and countless administrative procedures on my own reminded me that I wasn’t Korean after all. I was born in Korea, but at the same time, I was still considered an outsider. That realization left me uncertain about where I truly belonged.”
Caught between his emotional homeland and official nationality, Andrua found support in fellow student Seo Young-in. Saying that he had always been interested in different cultures, Young-in pledged, “Someday, we’ll build something together based on the backgrounds we each carry.” Two years later, that promise became a reality.
True to the meaning embodied in MFM—“Margin for the Marginalized”—Andrua Haque continues striving to build a minimum safety net for socially vulnerable communities.
During the first semester of their junior year, Young-in brought the idea up again: “Do you remember what we talked about back then? Why don’t we finally give it a try now?” Andrua answered without hesitation: “Absolutely.” The two later joined a global entrepreneurship program organized by the SK Happiness Foundation, designed to support young entrepreneurs tackling social problems in developing countries. Choosing Bangladesh as their target, they visited the country together for the first time and found themselves facing a multitude of urgent and deeply interconnected problems.
“We lacked both capital and connections, so we decided to focus on agricultural issues and visited a mangrove forest with a local NGO. What we saw was beyond anything we had imagined. Waste from shrimp processed for export—including discarded heads and shells—was damaging the surrounding ecosystem, and female workers were laboring twelve hours a day for barely KRW 2,000. At that moment, we knew we had to find a way to break the cycle.”
To address the intertwined challenges of environmental pollution, marginalized labor, and food security, the two adopted tiger shrimp shell upcycling as their business model. It marked the beginning of the climate-tech startup MFM.
Although they easily clarified their goals and ideas, translating them into viable technology proved far more challenging. Seeking advice wherever they could, the two eventually met Lee Ki-won, Professor in the Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, who opened up a new perspective for them and guided Andrua toward the Master of Biomodulation program.
“For someone trained in political science and international relations, adapting to unfamiliar science courses such as Animal Cell Biology required immense effort. But Professor Lee, whom I regard as a role model in life, was a tremendous source of encouragement for me. Driven by a sincere determination to better understand the technical foundations of our business, I fully devoted myself to my studies.”
His immersion in this unfamiliar field eventually led to a meaningful breakthrough: transforming discarded shrimp shells into biochar. Produced through high-temperature pyrolysis under limited oxygen conditions, biochar is a charcoal-like substance that helps retain moisture and nutrients in the soil while storing atmospheric carbon underground. In regions suffering from severe soil salinization caused by rising sea levels, it absorbs salt and regulates soil acidity, creating conditions in which crops can grow again. Applying the technology in real agricultural settings, MFM achieved tangible results, including soil salinity reductions of up to 80 percent and crop-yield increases exceeding 60 percent. The startup also secured KRW 300 million in funding through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’s Creative Technology Solution (CTS) program and won the grand prize at the 2024 Seoul National University Startup Competition, further validating the feasibility of its technology.
Andrua’s vision extends far beyond MFM’s success. His ultimate goal is to help bring about deeper structural change in Bangladesh. The same perspective is reflected in how he came to define himself after struggling with questions of identity during his years at Seoul National University: “I see myself not simply as Korean or Bangladeshi but as a global citizen connecting two worlds.”
“After witnessing the devastating conditions of a refugee camp at age 15, I began imagining what I could do for people in my home country living in harsh conditions. In the long run, I hope to contribute to the design and implementation of national policy. Of course, I know it won’t be easy. But having personally experienced Korea’s remarkable transformation through what is known as the ‘Miracle on the Hangang River,’ I intend to keep moving forward while exploring the possibilities.”
Andrua’s calm yet unwavering gaze makes it clear that his dream is not rooted in youthful idealism but in a promise carried into the future. The path he seeks to forge as a global citizen may someday transcend the idea of a “Miracle of Bangladesh” and inspire others to dream.
By absorbing salt and regulating soil acidity, MFM’s biochar helps create an environment conducive to healthy crop growth.
“To me, imagination is the process
of searching for solutions
to the problems facing my home country.
With Korea serving as a role model,
I believe Bangladesh can create its own miracle.”
