The bulldozer had become the grandfather of most Israelis and the last card of Western diplomacy, for Americans and, surprisingly, for Europeans, too.

The scandals surrounding the top aides to Lee nicknamed the Bulldozer from his career as a construction industry executive have complicated matters for the ruling Saenuri Party s candidate, Park Geun hye, and buoyed the hopes of her leftist rival, Moon Jae in of the Democratic United Party.