The men's shot put event at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea had an entry list of 21 competitors from 17 nations, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on Friday September 23, 1988.

The event was won by Ulf Timmermann of East Germany, the nation's second victory in the men's shot put.

Andrei had held the world record until May of 1988, when Ulf Timmermann of East Germany had made the first throw over 23 metres.

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final.

Udo Beyer beat the old record at 21.40 metres in the second set of throws, but this put him only in third place so far in the competition.