Ulleungdo (KTO) Aug. 15 marks the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. For travelers hoping to reflect on that history over the holiday, several destinations across the country offer a closer look at the independence movement and the nation's modern past.UlleungdoThe volcanic island in North Gyeongsang Province is hosting a rare photo exhibition at the Suto History Exhibition Hall from Thursday through Feb. 12, 2027. The images featured in "Ulleungdo, 1919," taken in 1919 by Japanese surveyor Yasui Seiichi and obtained by Yeungnam University professor Jung In-seung, document the island's landscape and residents and are being shown to the public for the first time. Imcheonggak (Imcheonggak) AndongImcheonggak in North Gyeongsang Province is the birthplace of independence activist Yi Sang-ryong, who served as the first premier of the Korean Provisional Government and helped establish the Sinheung Military Academy. Said to be the oldest surviving private home in Korea, the hanok sits on the slopes of Yeongnamsan. Nearby, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Independence Movement Memorial traces 51 years of resistance, from the righteous army movement of 1894 to liberation in 1945. Busan (Thomas Roger Lux on Unsplash) BusanThe 168 Stairs climb a 40-degree slope that refugees once scaled to reach their shelters above the port. A slope elevator now runs alongside them, opening onto a view of Busan Harbor. The climb caps a walking route through Choryang-dong, where Yongdusan Park, once a Japanese shrine and later a refugee settlement, and the Busan Modern History Museum mark the city's passage through occupation and war. Baekbeom Kim Koo History Street (KTO) IncheonThe Baekbeom Kim Koo History Street follows the independence leader, who was jailed in Incheon as a young man and taught fellow inmates during his imprisonment. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Kim's birth with stamp tours, exhibitions and cultural programs running through Aug. 29. Dongguksa (KTO) GunsanAt Dongguksa, a Japanese-built temple in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, the Statue of Peace honoring victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery stands near stones of penitence carved by Japanese monks. The temple is one stop in a city that served as Japan's largest rice-export port. The Gunsan Modern History Museum and the 1908 customs house, now a museum, document that exploitation, while Chowon Photo Studio preserves the set of the 1998 film "Christmas in August." Daejeon Modern History Exhibition Hall (KTO) DaejeonThe Daejeon Modern History Exhibition Hall occupies the former South Chungcheong Provincial Office, a 1932 building and registered national cultural heritage. It covers a century of the city's modern history and has served as a filming location for "Mr. Sunshine," "The Attorney" and "12.12: The Day." Visitors can round out the trip at Sungsimdang, the bakery that made Daejeon a pilgrimage stop for bread lovers.