A campaigner who tackles youth suicide in South Korea, two journalists and a human rights activist were named on Friday (Aug 2) among the winners of Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Kim Jong-ki, whose 16-year-old son took his life after being bullied in school, received the 2019 award for helping South Korea face one of the developed world's highest suicide rates.

Kim, 72, was recognised for "his quiet courage in transforming private grief into a mission to protect Korea's youth from the scourge of bullying and violence", the Manila-based award foundation said in a statement.

Over 24 years, Kim's Foundation for Preventing Youth Violence has carried out wide-ranging anti-bullying campaigns, run a hotline that now takes up to 50 calls a day, introduced counselling and mediation, and lobbied the government for new policy and laws.

Suicide was the second leading cause of death among teenagers in South Korea as recently as 2005, with school bullying directly related to more than half of the cases, the award foundation added.

The annual award, widely considered Asia's version of the Nobel Prize, is named for the Filipino president who died in a 1957 plane crash. This year's winners will receive a cash prize and a medallion at a Manila ceremony on Sep 9