Could the lifeguards fired for making a video spoofing the popular Korean song "Gangnam Style" get their jobs back?
The City Council in El Monte, Calif, where the lifeguards worked at the city-owned El Monte Aquatic Center, will be considering that motion Tuesday at their next scheduled meeting.
According to the Pasadena News Star, the city terminated the lifeguards due to their unauthorized use of city resources for their own benefit, shooting a video spoofing the "Gangnam Style" video made popular by Korean singer Psy while on the aquatic center's premises and wearing their city-issued lifeguard uniforms.
The 13 employees in question, including their manager, have argued that they shot the video while in their off-hours.
Since that time, the lifeguards have gathered worldwide attention through their Facebook page, which currently boasts 17, 000 fans.
El Monte mayor Andre Quintero, who supports hiring the youths back, told the Los Angeles Times that the city's interim city manager hired a contractor to investigate the steps leading to the firing of the youths, which he hoped would be completed in a month.
"This is more than just about a video," Quintero told the Times while noting the need for a "deeper look at the management" of the city's aquatics center.
The "Gangnam Style" craze has been infection ever since the video's release on YouTube July 15-which has since reached 469,700,284 hits worldwide, and counting.
Psy, the artist behind the horse-galloping craze, performed at the South Korean F1 Grand Prix in Yeongam, South Korea on Sunday and is scheduled to fly in Monday to Sydney, Australia for a performance on the music reality TV show "X Factor" and a morning show "Sunrise."
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