An apparatus for driving a light emitting diode (LED) includes a current control circuit connected to an output terminal of a plurality of LEDs and configured to generate a first voltage based on a sensing voltage detected from the output terminal of the plurality of LEDs, the current control circuit including at least one comparator configured to control a current flowing in the plurality of LEDs based on a result of comparison between the first voltage and a reference voltage; and a protective circuit configured to block the current flowing in the plurality of LEDs by stopping an operation of the at least one comparator in response to an increase of the sensing voltage.