I make tons of Kim Chee, with varying recipes. One secret is to mix the vegetables with a little juice from some fresh Kim Chee, before packing into the crock, like a sourdough starter. It speeds up the ferment and gives the good bacteria a head start. If you really like 'kraut, Kim Chee and other fermented veggies, it really helps to get one of those crocks that have a water channel to seal out air-let gas escape. Ceramic disk weights should be bought from the same company selling the crocks. These really save time and increase success and quality. I’ve got everything from a half-gallon mason jar (with air lock), to a six gallon Harsch crock. Made a bunch of NY style Kosher dill pickles a couple years back. They were great; wish I wrote down the recipe! Despite what some authors say, you want an airtight/no oxygen, anaerobic brine environment for the lactic acid bacteria to thrive. I got my supplies from the sausagemaker.com, but lots of places are selling fermentation crocks. If you get a big one, make sure you have a hand truck-they are heavy.
