The men's coxless four competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place at took place at Han River Regatta Course, South Korea.

[1] The competition consisted of three main rounds (heats, semifinals, and finals) as well as a repechage.

The remaining 6 boats were placed in the repechage.

The repechage featured a single heat, with the top three boats advancing to the semifinals and the remaining 3 boats (4th, 5th, and 6th placers in the repechage) being eliminated (13th, 14th, and 15th place overall).

The top three boats in each semifinal (6 boats total) advanced to the "A" final to compete for medals and 4th through 6th place; the bottom three boats in each semifinal were sent to the "B" final for 7th through 12th.