With the recent establishment of a ubiquitous environment and the paradigm shift to a smart society, the use of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablet PCs, has become widespread. Thus, the trend is gradually shifting from using Web-based Instant Messenger to using Mobile-based Instant Messenger. Mobile Instant Messenger refers to a service that allows instant messaging as well as data sending and receiving between individuals with exclusive application programs(mobile Apps), which can be used in portable devices-such as smart phones-with wireless Internet access. Korea's portal sites, telecommunication companies, and even big companies have all rushed into the MIM market to join the competition. The reason so many companies are showing interest in the MIM business is because it is rising as a core platform to substitute portal sites in the mobile society, and MIM is perceived as the best means to attract and secure users. The intention to reuse or use continually was considered an important factor in maintaining a dominant position amidst such fierce competition, and consequently, most research thus far has reflected such thought. However, the frequent or long-term use of a system alone cannot indicate the definite success of the system, nor guarantee its dominant position in the market. On the contrary, MIM dependence, which goes beyond simple repetitive use and indicates a state where users actually or emotionally depend on a specific system, can better explain the user action. However, not much research has been conducted on dependence. The research results showed that lively message, concise message, message responsiveness, and social belonging significantly affected perceived usefulness. Message responsiveness, Link, and social belonging significantly affected flow. Flow significantly affected MIM dependence, and perceived usefulness did not affect MIM dependence. This study has proven that lively message, concise message, message responsiveness, Link, social belonging and perceived usefulness are important antecedents and mediating factors of MIM dependence. Moreover, this study is significant in that it explains the overall process of MIM dependence, and expands on the variety and scope of research that can be applied to MIM-related studies.