Light emitting display apparatus having a controller for detecting pixel currents and driving method thereof

A light emitting display apparatus, capable of protecting light emitting elements by preventing overcurrent from flowing into the elements, and a method of driving the light emitting display apparatus are disclosed. In one embodiment, the light emitting display apparatus comprises a pixel portion comprising a plurality of pixels for emitting light in response to a data signal and a scan signal, a data driver for generating and transmitting the data signal to the pixel portion; a scan driver for generating and transmitting the scan signal to the pixel portion, a timing controller for controlling the data driver and the scan driver, and a controller for detecting a current flowing through each of the pixels and blocking light emission of the pixel portion in case that the detected current is greater than a predetermined value.