Magnolia kobus leaf extract was used for the synthesis of bimetallic Au core-Ag shell nanoparticles. Gold seeds and silver shells were formed by first treating aqueous solution of HAuCl4 and then AgNO3 with the plant leaf extract as reducing agent. UV-visible spectroscopy was monitored as a function of reaction time to follow the formation of bimetallic nanoparticles. The synthesized bimetallic nanoparticles were characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). TEM images showed that the bimetallic nanoparticles are a mixture of plate(triangles, pentagons, and hexagons) and spherical structures. The atomic Ag contents of the bimetallic Au/Ag nanoparticles determined from EDS and XPS analysis were 34 and 65 wt%, respectively, suggesting the formation of bimetallic Au core-Ag shell nanostructure. This core-shell type nanostructure is expected to have potential for application in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and in the sensitive detection of biomolecules.