Im Chang-jung poses for a photo during the media showcase for his 3rd mini album "I'm a fool" held at Ilji Art Hall in Seoul on Wed. (YES IM Entertainment)

Ballad king Im Chang-jung has returned with his third EP “I’m a Fool” on Wednesday.

It took him longer than expected to release a new album, as he usually introduces a studio album once a year in the autumn, which is usually seen as the best season for ballads in Korea.

“This mini album comes after six years since the last one. For studio albums, I sing a track twice or thrice but because there are not many tracks on this one, I put more effort into recording them. I think I took 11 takes for the titular track ‘I’m a Fool,'” Im Chang-jung said during a media showcase for his new mini album held on Wednesday at the Ilji Art Hall in Seoul.

The title track is composed with different variations throughout the song.

“The message of the song is that we should do our best to our parents, partners, and friends when they are next to us because looking back, we would regret not doing so as a fool,” explained Im.

Im Chang-jung performed the song during the media showcase during which it was noticeable his singing voice had changed quite a bit thanks to the influence of musicals.

Last year, he took the lead role in the musical “Mrs. Doubtfire."

Before the release of the mini album, Im Chang-jung gave a preview of the title track by singing the song during his concert in Washington, which went viral and brought commentaries.

“There are some that say it’s a new try for me and there are some that say the melody is too old. It is my job to make a song that many can love but these days I am more inclined to show myself, to sing for my fans that like my music,” the singer pointed out.

Besides the titular track, there are four other side tracks comprising the album.

For the side track “Forgive me,” Im Chang-jung’s wife, Seo Ha-yan helped write the lyrics, which sing about asking for forgiveness for making a partner cheat as he or she has not been able to love the partner enough, making them lonely.

“I am so grateful for being able to do music for 28 years. I will continue to hold nationwide concerts once every year to meet with my fans. This year’s concert kicks off in June. This month on the 22nd, I am launching a premium soju and in the second half of the year, I will come back as an actor in a drama series. Please look forward to that and hope everyone enjoys the new album,” said Im.