One single lactic acid producing bacterium, isolated from kimchi, inhibited the growth and adherence of Helicobacter pylori to the human gastric epithelial cell line MKN-45. This isolate was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum and termed L. plantarum strain PL9011. The adherence of H pylori, in the presence of live or nonviable L. plantarum strain PL9011 (10-fold CFU), decreased to 14-20%. The spent culture supernatant of L. plantarum strain PL9011 resulted in the eradication of H pylori. This activity remained stable following neutralization and heat treatment, but not following pepsin treatment, thereby suggesting small peptides as the inhibitory factor. L. plantarum strain PL9011 did not produce any harmful metabolites or enzymes. The results obtained in this study suggest that the L. plantarum strain PL9011 may be a potential novel probiotic for the stomach.