Most microorganisms have been used for foods for such a long period of time with no question posed for their safety. However, the progress of food processing technology has activated international food trades, and the consumers and authorities of import countries have come to question the safety of microorganisms used in foods. At present, the most widely known safety standards are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) status by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). GRAS status is not for the safety of microorganisms themselves but for the permissibility of strains or cultures in specific food uses. QPS provides a qualified generic approval to a defined taxonomic unit. The increase of commercialized traditional fermented foods in Korea has spurred the starter development for traditional food fermentations. However, starter development in Korea has been carried out based on the technological properties of microorganisms with no research on developing a standardized tool for safety assessment. In the globalization of traditional Korean fermented foods, technological properties as well as safety of future starters should be guaranteed, and establishment of the safety assessment regulation for microorganisms used for foods is necessary.