The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PENFRIEND
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
P
E
N
F
R
I
E
N
D
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "foreign correspondent?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case foreign correspondent? = penfriend.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 PENFRIEND mean?
PENFRIEND noun- A person, often in a foreign country, with whom one exchanges friendly correspondence but whom one never or rarely meets.