Transcript for Life goes on in South Korea amidst North Korea talks, threats of war

Reporter: As the north Korean delegation crossed the border and took a step toward cooperation, further along that border the signs of war are everywhere. This is a military checkpoint near the north Korean border and a reminder of how heavily fortified this area is. These are landmines showing people what to look out for. History is written on these roads. The brooding fortifications. If there was a north Korean advance into South Korea, the legs of those barriers would be blown off. The bigger part would fall into the road to try to block the north Korean advance. The fallout shelters here clean, bright, secure. Built to shelter a village. If war comes, they're ready. And while many of the south Koreans we met wanted president trump to cool his rhetoric, drop all that talk of fire and fury and get down to negotiations, up here attitudes are harder. Me byong oak is 75. She remembers seeing the dead bodies of north Korean soldiers as her family fled the north. But if you drive south away from the border, past the bunkers, past the barbed wire, past camouflaged artillery pieces pointing north, you find this. Life, music, laughter. Here on these frozen waters at the annual ice fishing festival the people of wa Chen were so focused on catching the trout below they barely seemed to notice the attack helicopters patrolling the skies above. And while few think the surface warmth that was on display in the truce village will lead to a permanent thaw, any kind of crack in the ice is a reason to smile. For "Nightline" I'm Martha Raddatz in guachen.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.