Koreans are living under the persistent threat of inherited beef. Like the sword of Damocles, this beef hangs over their heads by a thread. To be clear, this is a beef of the metaphorical variety, but the type which causes real damage. It has already claimed millions of lives generations ago and continually threatens to claim more. Most Koreans living today were born after the border between their once-unified countries was imposed by the victorious Allies after World War II. Unsurprisingly, this line in the sand did not hold, and conflict soon erupted into open warfare in 1950. A formal peace treaty was never signed, leaving the Korean War most unpleasantly unresolved to this day. Against this uneasy backdrop, Korean table tennis players have waged peace through their own "Ping-Pong Diplomacy." As far back as 1991, the two Koreas have been fielding united table tennis teams in international tournaments as a show of good will and solidarity. Today, KTTA President Ryu Seung-min signed an official invitation, asking his neighbors to the north to participate at the World Team Table Tennis Championships. The gesture, extended under the aegis of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), would see a united Korean team take on the world from March 22 to 29 in the South Korean city of Busan. While North Korean leader Kim Jong-un continues his nuclear saber rattling, it remains to be seen if his table tennis team will accept the invitation to wield their blades in a more pacific manner. Hopefully this dangerously expired beef can be recalled before it does any more damage.

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