Motorola (NYSE:MOT)
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U.S. electronics manufacturers like Dell Inc. (DELL), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Motorola Inc. (MOT) and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) will have an easier time getting their products to market in South Korea after the Asian country relaxed rules on battery testing, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Friday.

South Korea recently agreed to allow laboratories in the U.S. and other countries to test the batteries used in products like laptops and MP3 players to ensure that they meet Korean safety standards.

According to USTR, the electronics industry had raised strong concerns about South Korean regulators' initial plan to require all imported lithium-ion batteries to be tested and certified only inside the country.

Manufacturers worried that South Korea's stipulation would create "testing bottlenecks" that would disrupt trade, USTR said.

The U.S. worked through the South Korean regulatory system to open the testing to foreign participants.

"I welcome Korea's close cooperation with USTR in making this important change. This is a big step forward for U.S. producers' ability to do business easily in Korea, which can help to create and maintain good-paying jobs here at home in the U.S.," said USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk.

-By Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9263; fawn.johnson@dowjones.com