Kimchi is a korean dish. It works on the same principle as all lacto-fermented vegetables. The fermenting process is driven by two bacteria .i.e. Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides.
The bacteria present in the vegetables use the naturally occurring sugars to produce the lactic acid. L. mesenteroides is responsible for initial fermentation followed by Lactobacillus creating the desired final product.