Cryptic crossword clue
Occurrences of disease beginning in South Korea, but spreading 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OUTBREAKS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
O
U
T
B
R
E
A
K
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Occurrences of disease" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case occurrences of disease = outbreaks.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does OUTBREAKS mean?

OUTBREAKS noun
  1. An eruption; the sudden appearance of a rash, disease, etc.
  2. An outburst or sudden eruption, especially of violence and mischief.
  3. A sudden increase.
  4. A geological layer that breaks out.
OUTBREAKS verb
  1. To burst out.
  2. To break forth.

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