Kim called a halt on work on Terminal 2 at Pyongyang International Airport after inspecting the construction site, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
He reproached workers for failing to carry out his earlier order in July that the project should reflect North Korea's "Juche" (self-reliance) philosophy and national identity.
North Korean architecture is characterised by its monumental but drab socialist style incorporating propaganda symbols of the communist state.
If construction continued in that way, it may be "a copy" of the terminal of an unidentified foreign country, it quoted Kim as saying.
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"When we build even a single structure, we should do in such a way as to ensure that our style, our characteristic feature and national identity are preserved.
"It is necessary to finish the construction of the terminal to be an icon of Songun (military-first) Korea, the face of the country and the gateway to Pyongyang", Kim said.
Following Kim's instructions in July 2012, North Korea has been building a new airport terminal at Sunan airport as the existing terminal is too small and shabby compared with foreign ones.
The new terminal is six times larger than the old one, but it remains unclear how North Korea will be able to generate passenger numbers that would justify such expenditure.
The Stalinist state remains one of the world's least-visited countries.