A novel Gram-positive, strictly aerobic and non-motile bacterial strain, S6-4(T), was isolated from a Korean alcohol fermentation starter. Optimal growth occurred at 37 °C, at pH 8 and in 1 % (w/v) NaCl. The isolate was positive for oxidase and catalase. It assimilated various sugars and acids were produced from several carbohydrates. The major cell-wall sugars were galactose and arabinose. The major fatty acids of strain S6-4(T) were C(16 : 0), C(17 : 1)ω9c, C(18 : 1)ω9c and 10-methyl C(18 : 0) (tuberculostearic acid). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was menaquinone MK-9(H(2)) and peptidoglycan amino acids were meso-diaminopimelic acid, alanine, glycine and glutamic acid. The strain contained mycolic acids. According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain S6-4(T) was most closely related to Corynebacterium variabile DSM 20132(T) (98.1 % similarity). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain S6-4(T) was 73.6 mol% and DNA-DNA hybridization values with related strains were below 33±4 %. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strain S6-4(T) represents a novel species in the genus Corynebacterium, for which the name Corynebacterium nuruki sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is S6-4(T) ( = KACC 15032(T) = JCM 17162(T)).