There has been substantial progress on the issue of Korea’s lithium ion battery standard. PRBA has been working with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and U.S. Department of Commerce in an effort secure a delay in the effective date of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) lithium ion battery standard that was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2009. PRBA also requested that labs outside of Korea be authorized to test to this standard. (The standard currently designates four Korean labs for testing.)