According to an exemplary embodiment, a backlight unit includes a plurality of light emitting strings, and a driving controller configured to detect source voltages of a plurality of light transistors provided in the light emitting strings. The driving controller is further configured to compare a source voltage of each of the light transistors with an overcurrent protection voltage and to turn off an operation of a corresponding light transistor having a source voltage level higher than the overcurrent protection voltage. The backlight unit further includes a first comparator configured to compare the source voltage of the corresponding light transistor with a reference source voltage to output a feedback voltage according to the compared result; and a first switch configured to electrically connect the first comparator to a gate terminal of the corresponding light transistor, wherein the first switch operates in response to an overcurrent protection signal.