North Korea’s Kim Jong Un ordered the military to intensify drills to deter and respond to a “real war” if necessary, state media said on Friday, after the leader oversaw a fire assault drill that it said proved the country’s capabilities.

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, adding it was analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area. Photos released by the North’s KCNA news agency showed at least six missiles being fired at same time. KCNA said a unit trained for “strike missions” fired a “powerful volley at the targeted waters” and demonstrated its capability to “counter an actual war.”