This study aimed to evaluate the safety (hemolysis and enzyme activity), probiotic properties (gastrointestinal tract tolerance, adhesion, hydrophobicity, and auto‐aggregation), and functional characteristics (antimicrobial, antioxidant, and
β
‐galactosidase activities) of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), isolated from kimchi, in order to select a multifunctional LAB strain for starter culture in fermented food. The five isolated strains included
Lactobacillus plantarum
WiKim83,
L
.
plantarum
WiKim84,
Pediococcus pentosaceus
WiKim85,
P
.
pentosaceus
WiKim86, and
L
.
plantarum
WiKim87, as identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis; they were confirmed to be nonhemolytic and not able to produce
β
‐glucuronidase, a carcinogenic enzyme. Probiotic properties of the five LAB strains were evaluated relative to those of commercial
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
GG, and results revealed probiotic potential of three strains (
L
.
plantarum
WiKim83,
L
.
plantarum
WiKim84, and
L
.
plantarum
WiKim87) to be superior.
L
.
plantarum
WiKim84 showed high antimicrobial activity against pathogens, and
L
.
plantarum
WiKim83 exhibited the highest antioxidant and
β
‐galactosidase activities. Based on the probiotic and functional properties, the main characteristics of each strain were highlighted and two of them,
L
.
plantarum
WiKim83 and
L
.
plantarum
WiKim87, were selected as the most potent by principal component analysis. These strains showed antimicrobial,
β
‐galactosidase, and antioxidant activities, which recommend their suitability as starter culture in various fermented foods.