A local instant messenger operator SK Communications Co. has eclipsed rival Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger in the battle for instant messenger supremacy in South Korea, according to a ratings study released Monday. Data from Seoul-based KoreanClick indicated that SK Communications' NateOn service is now the most visited instant messenger service.

Figures for March showed that NateOn stood at 10.73 million visitors, compared with MSN Messenger's 10.65 million.

It is the first time for NateOn to overtake MSN Messenger in the monthly survey.

SK Communications is an Internet unit of SK Telecom Co., the nation's biggest mobile phone operator with 19 million subscribers.