An edge type backlight assembly for an LCD includes a plurality of flexible printed circuit boards, each of which has a group of one or more LEDs mounted thereon and disposed adjacent to each other. If one of the LEDs is defective, only the board on which the defective LED is mounted needs to be replaced, thereby simplifying rework of the backlight assembly and reducing its manufacturing cost. Further, by coupling separate sources of power to the separate LED mounting boards, the amount of light emitted by separate regions of the display can be independently controlled.